Rep. Summer Lee, Colleagues, Advocates Reintroduce Reparations Now Resolution

May 15, 2025 — Today, Congresswoman Summer L. Lee (PA-12) led her colleagues in reintroducing the Reparations Now Resolution to call on the federal government to provide reparations to the descendants of enslaved Black families. The resolution seeks to advance federal reparations, support existing reparatory justice efforts such as H.R. 40, and provide further momentum to reparations efforts at the state and local levels.

The resolution was introduced at a press conference earlier today with Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (MI-12), Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), and a coalition of advocates. Former Congresswoman Cori Bush, who initially introduced the resolution, was also in attendance. The Members were joined by Dreisen Heath of Reparations Strategist and Founder of Why We Can’t Wait Reparations Coalition, Miya Iwataki of Nikkei for Civil Rights & Redress/Nikkei Progressives, Chelsea Higgs Wise, Executive Director of Marijuana Justice, Robin Rue Simmons of First Repair, Kyle Bibby, Co-CEO and Co-Founder of Black Veterans Project, and Marcus Anthony Hunter, Author, Radical Reparations: Healing the Soul of a Nation.

“As a descendant of my enslaved ancestors, I am deeply humbled to reintroduce the Reparations Now Resolution. Black folks are owed more than thoughts and prayers—we are owed restitution and justice to repair the government-sanctioned harm that has plagued our communities for generations,” said Rep. Summer Lee. “While attempts to whitewash, obstruct, and deny Black history are made, we must fight the white supremacy rampant in our country, against the rising authoritarianism, and not allow anyone to deny Black folks the ability to survive and to thrive. I thank former Congresswoman Bush for passing on the torch for this resolution and urge my colleagues to pass it without delay.”

“Today we say what too many are too afraid to say: Reparations Now. For over 400 years, this country has profited off the stolen labor, stolen land, and stolen lives of Black people, and every day that we fail to repair the harm, we compound it. Until there is repair, there will be no justice, and where there is no justice, we will continue to fight. Many thanks to Congresswoman Summer Lee for her leadership and to this movement. Without you all, this would not move forward,” said former Rep. Bush.

“For centuries, our Black neighbors have endured the brutality of slavery, the violence of white supremacy, the dehumanization of Jim Crow, and the systemic racism that has left a lasting impact on the lives of Black families in our communities,” said Rep. Tlaib. “By following through on our promise to provide reparations, Congress can begin to address the racial wealth gap, end the decades of disinvestment in communities of color, and dismantle the racist systems that have oppressed our Black neighbors for far too long.”

“Congress has a duty – an obligation – to confront past wrongs and address the centuries of enslavement, violence, and discrimination against Black people. With Donald Trump and Republicans waging a coordinated, all-out assault on Black communities, we must advance an affirmative agenda for Black America,” said Rep. Ayanna Pressley. “We are in a moment of anti-Blackness on steroids, and we will not back down in our pursuit of reparative justice. I am proud to partner with my sister-in-service, Congresswoman Summer Lee, to continue moving this critical priority forward,” said Rep. Pressley. 

“The impact of slavery and generations of racist policies didn’t end with the Civil Rights Movement. We still see the consequences today in wealth inequality, in access to healthcare and education, and in the criminal justice system. That’s why I support the Reparations Now Resolution,” said Rep. Omar. “This bill is about acknowledging the truth of this country’s history and taking meaningful steps to repair the harm. This is one of many ways that we can create real change in the lives of Black families today and for generations to come.”

The Reparations Now Resolution is co-sponsored by Representatives Jasmine Crockett (TX-30), Valerie P. Foushee (NC-04), Al Green (TX-09), Jonathan Jackson (IL-01), Henry “Hank” Johnson (GA-04), LaMonica McIver (NJ-10), Ilhan Omar (MN-05), Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), Delia Ramirez (IL-03), Lateefah Simon (CA-12), Shri Thaneder (MI-13), Rashida Tlaib (MI-12), and Nikema Williams (GA-05).

The resolution is endorsed by #unifyUSA, African American Redress Network (AARN), African Ancestral Society, Alliance for Reparations, Reconciliation, and Truth (ARRT), Amnesty International USA, Athens Reparations Action, Bailey’s Cafe, Benita Raquiba Miller LLC, Black Veterans Project, BlackRoots Alliance, BLIS Collective, Breaking Generational Cycles, California Black Power Network, Campaign For Justice: Redress NOW For Japanese Latin Americans!, Center for LGBTQ Economic Advancement & Research (CLEAR), Center for Reparatory Justice, Transformation and Remediation, Community Rising Project, DC Justice Lab, Democrats Abroad Reparations Task Force (DA RTF), Descendants of Enslaved Communities of Virginia, Drug Policy Alliance, Equal Justice USA, Equality Federation, FirstRepair, FreedomRoad.us, Fund For Reparations NOW! (FFRN!), Get Free, Girls for Gender Equity, Gullah Geechee Group (GGG), Inc., Human Rights Watch, Incarcerated Nation Network, Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti, Japanese American Citizens League, Japanese American Citizens League – Portland, Japanese American Citizens League – Twin Cities Chapter, Japanese Peruvian Oral History Project, Metro Organization for Racial and Economic Equity (MORE 2), Make It Plain, Malcolm X Center for Self Determination, Middle Collegiate Church, Minidoka Pilgrimage Planning Committee, National Asian American Pacific Islander Mental Health Association (NAAPIMHA), National Coalition of Blacks for Reparations In America (N’COBRA), National Conference of Black Lawyers Reparations Research Project, National Council of Churches, National LGBTQ Task Force Action Fund, National LGBTQ+ Bar Association, National Black Justice Collective (NBJC), NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice, Network NOVA & the Virginia Grassroots, Nikkei for Civil Rights & Redress (NCRR), Nikkei Progressives/Nikkei for Civil Rights & Redress, Norml National Care Givers, Not In Our Town Princeton, Parable of the Sower Intentional Community Cooperative, Parents Across America, People’s Organization for Progress, Positive Women’s Network-USA, Progressive Democrats of America, Rebel Noires, Reclaim Roxbury, Reparation Education Project, Reparations Circle Denver, Reparations Interfaith Coalition of Massachusetts (RIC), Reparations Pledge, Reparations4Slavery, Reparatory Justice Commission, SAFES, Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference, Sanctuary of Hope (SOH), Sistamatictheology, LLC, Soul Child Awakenings LLC, South Carolina Reparations Coalition, The NOTICE Coalition, The Taifa Group, Timelist Group, Inc., Tsuru For Solidarity, UNESCO Inclusive Policy Lab-People of African Descent & the SDGs E-Team, Unitarian Universalist Association, United By Equity, Universal Human Rights Initiative, Virago Strategies, and Why We Can’t Wait National Reparations Coalition.

“At a time when injustice is being codified and where there is an operation to erase public memory, Congresswoman Summer Lee dares to not only remember but repair. She carries forward the visionary and courageous torch lit by former Congresswoman Cori Bush—championing a reparations movement—and its demands—that is as expansive as it is urgent. From education justice to wealth building, from maternal health to environmental equity, this resolution recognizes that repair must meet us at every intersection of harm. The #ReparationsNow Resolution is not just a policy proposal — it is a movement mandate. This resolution is a light in an era of erasure and is a testament to the leadership of Black women who refuse to let this nation forget what it owes,” said Dreisen Heath, Reparations Strategist, Founder, Why We Can’t Wait Reparations Coalition.

“Reparations is more than a check.  It is redress for lifetimes of losses brought on our people: loss of property, education, access to medical care, unjust imprisonment.  As Japanese Americans who fought for Justice and Reparations, we are committed to work in solidarity to win Reparations for Black Americans, and to pass the Reparations Now Resolution!” said Miya Iwataki, Nikkei Progressives/NCRR Reparations Coalition, Organizer. 

“Reparations Now is timely and much needed legislation. We commend and support Congresswoman Summer Lee continuing the mighty efforts inaugurated by former Representative Cori Bush,” said Dr. Marcus Anthony Hunter, Executive Director of United By Equity. 

“The National Coalition of Blacks for Reparations in America (N’COBRA) is honored to stand with you during the historic introduction of this resolution, providing reparations to descendants of enslaved Africans and people of African descent,” said Kenniss Henry, National Co-Chair of N’COBRA.

“Human Rights Watch strongly endorses Congresswoman Lee’s reparations resolution and its urgent need to confront the enduring legacy of slavery and systemic racism in the United States. The #ReparationsNow resolution paves the way for reparative justice and addressing past harms and their resonant socioeconomic consequences. As international human rights advocates, we see this as a crucial step towards healing, accountability, and prevention of future racial injustice,” said Bria Nelson, Researcher & Advocate of Human Rights Watch. 

“Reparations are not just a matter of policy—they are a matter of the morality of our nation. For too long, the dominant story in this country has denied or distorted the truth about slavery, land theft, and the economic foundations of capitalism. This resolution is a powerful step toward repairing the material harms of state-sanctioned anti-Blackness, but it is also an intervention of public memory. It affirms the truth of our history, the dignity of Black life, and the right to self-determination. At BLIS, we know that shifting public perception is essential to building the political will for reparations. We are proud to stand with Congresswoman Summer Lee and the communities who have long led this fight. Together, we are rewriting the story—and reclaiming the future,” said Trevor Smith, Executive Director, BLIS Collective.

“Reparations Now!” said Nkechi Taifa, President of The Taifa Group.

“Over 35 years ago, our country provided reparations to Japanese Americans who had been unjustly incarcerated during WWII. We are long overdue in fully coming to terms with our government’s complicity in the institution of chattel slavery and continued state sanctioned and enforced racial discrimination against Black people. The Japanese American Citizens League continues the call for our nation to once again correct an historic injustice as it did for Japanese Americans, and seek to truly respond to the harms that our government has inflicted upon the Black community in the form of reparations to bring healing for all Americans,” said David Inoue, Executive Director of Japanese  American Citizens League.

“Reparations are about making equality real and creating a better future. There’s never been a more urgent time to support this resolution. While the MAGA regime tries to whitewash our history so they can whitewash our country, we’re demanding our leaders stand in the legacy of civil rights, reckon with the truth, and right longstanding wrongs so we can all get free,” said Nicole Carty, Executive Director of Get Free.

“Unitarian Universalists believe reparations are a moral and spiritual imperative. We cannot ignore the wound that persists from the theft of Black bodies, labor, culture, and dignity. The Reparations Now Resolution is a necessary and faithful step toward the healing that will only come through real repair. Our faith calls us to truth, justice, and liberation—and that means showing up with Black communities to demand accountability and showing up for the promise of a democracy for all the people, by all the people,” said Nicole Pressley, Director of Organizing Strategy.

“Respect Repair Restitution,” said Chief Egunwale Amusan, President of African Ancestral Society.

“We must support this resolution because repairing the enduring harms of slavery and systemic racism is essential to achieving a just, inclusive, and multi-racial democracy. The federal government can no longer remain silent,” said Stair Calhoun, Co-founder Network NOVA.

“May we be guided by the wisdom, love, and freedom fighting spirit of our ancestors. Asé!” said Nicolette Paige, Priestess at Soul Child Awakenings, LLC.

“The U.S. stands at a crossroads. We are choosing our future now. We cannot walk into a future with light and hope until we confess and repent of the original sin of our nation– racialized oppression. The Reparations Now resolution is more than legislation. It is a sacred act with the power to repair what racial hierarchy has wrought in our nation and in the lives of Americans of African descent,” said Lisa Sharon Harper, President and Founder of FreedomRoad.us and author of Fortune: How Race Broke My Family and the World–and How To Repair It All.

“This historic resolution forcefully argues the moral and legal necessity of why the federal government must provide reparations to descendants of enslaved Africans and people of African descent,” said Five Mualimak, Executive Director of Incarcerated Nation Network.

“The long shadow of slavery still looms over the lives of people of African descent who carry with them the transgenerational trauma and who continue to confront marginalization, exclusion and bigotry,” said Dr.Ron Daniels, Norml National Care Givers, CANNABIS, CDJ FASHION FORWARD.

“For centuries, the U.S. government carved injustice into the bones of this nation — sanctioning the theft of Black bodies, lives, and futures to build its wealth and power. The legacy of that violence lives on in every stolen opportunity and deepened divide. True justice demands more than remembrance; it demands repair. A holistic reparations program is not only a moral imperative — it is the first step in healing a wound this country has long refused to close,” said Professor Christian D. Green, National Equity Week Organizer.

“Reparations is restoration of free, sovereign, and independent personhood,” said Efia Nwangaza, Founding Director of South Carolina Reparations Coalition.

“”If I steal from you every day for 400 years, and one day announce that I will stop stealing (or steal less), my debt is not repaid. That theft of wealth, land, safety, and opportunity persists to this day, and it is time for people of privilege, like me, to meaningfully repay our debt,” said Robin A. Lloyd, Founder of Reparations Pledge.

“Gullah Geechee Land Reclaim and Retain (GGLRR) is our continuing demand – Payback Now!” said Sherry Ann Suttles, President of Gullah Geechee Group, Inc.

Footage from the press conference can be found here, and photos are here. A copy of the bill text can be found here.

Sen. Cory Booker Reintroduces Legislation to Form Commission for Study of Reparation Proposals for African Americans

U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) led colleagues in reintroducing S.40, the Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans Act, legislation that would establish a commission to consider proposals for reparations for African American descendants of slavery. 

The Commission will study the impact of slavery and the continuing discrimination against African Americans and will make recommendations on reparation proposals for the descendants of slaves.

“We as a nation have not yet truly acknowledged and grappled with the ways slavery, racism, and white supremacy continue to disadvantage African Americans,” said Senator Booker. “Commissioning a study to better understand where our country has fallen short will help lawmakers better address the racial disparities and inequalities that persist today as a result of generational injustices.” 

The legislation is cosponsored by U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Peter Welch (D-VT), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL),  Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Ed Markey (D-MA), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Tina Smith (D-MN), Patty Murray (D-WA), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), and Jeff Merkley (D-OR).

To read the full text of the bill, click here.

OVER 30 REPARATIONS ORGANIZATIONS UNITE TO RELEASE STRATEGIC GUIDEBOOK, URGE FEDERAL COMMISSION ON REPARATIONS

In a powerful and unified call to action, over 30 leading reparations organizations, including Reparations United, National Black Cultural Information Trust (NBCIT), Movement for Black Lives (M4BL), and the BLIS Collective, have unveiled the Voices of America Reparatory Justice Guidebook, a comprehensive roadmap aimed at establishing a federal reparations commission through an executive order. The Guidebook outlines 19 targeted actions directed at President Joe Biden, the Congressional Black Caucus, prominent civil rights organizations, and Vice President Kamala Harris.

This unprecedented coalition emphasizes the urgency of the commission’s formation before the inauguration of the next president, underscoring the unique historical opportunity for current leaders to address the long-standing calls for reparative justice for Black Americans. The Guidebook provides actionable steps and contact information for individuals and organizations to support this cause.

Critical Calls to Key Leaders

The Guidebook’s actions target key figures, calling on them to use their influence and leadership to champion reparative justice:

President Joe Biden – The coalition highlights that President Biden has the authority and a unique opportunity to cement his legacy by taking decisive action on reparations.

The Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) – As representatives of both their districts and the broader Black American population, the CBC is urged to heed the widespread support for a reparations commission and message the need for a Reparations Commission to the President.

The Big Eight Civil Rights Organizations – Recent reports indicate that President Biden has requested these organizations to provide written recommendations on supporting Black communities. This coalition encourages the Big Eight to prioritize reparations in their advisement.

Vice President Kamala Harris – In her presidential campaign, Harris is urged to recognize and address the importance of reparations as a vital issue for Black Americans, especially given many voters' current dissatisfaction with the Democratic Party.

"The call for an executive order is significant as we have found the legislative process unavailable to us, even with 88% of Democratic support in the 117th Congress," stated Kamm Howard of Reparations United. "With recent studies showing strong bipartisan support for a commission, President Biden has an opportunity to solidify his legacy by embracing this vital cause."

Recent research supports the coalition’s advocacy, indicating that 88% of Democrats and 53% of Republicans either support or are open to the idea of a federal reparations commission. Additionally, studies highlight the economic and societal benefits that reparations could bring to the nation as a whole.

A Call to the Nation: How to Get Involved

The Voices of America Reparatory Justice Guidebook provides detailed steps for individuals and organizations to participate in this movement. It includes contact information and outlines 19 ways to support the call for a federal reparations commission. Through a nationwide movement, this coalition is rallying support to bring transformative justice and economic empowerment to Black communities.

In addition, the Collaborate have declared November 12th, National Reparations Action Day - a day of messaging all targets collectively on the need for a reparations commission by executive order.

For more information or to participate in the Voices of America Reparatory Justice Guidebook initiatives, please contact Reparations United through their website at https://reparationsunited.org.

OVER 100 STUDENT AND YOUTH LEADERS ORGANIZE MAJOR COMPLETE REPRATIONS SUMMIT

The National Reparations Institute along with 100 student and youth leaders will convene a National N’Daba (Great Gathering) Reparations Summit on Friday and Saturday November 1-2nd, 2024, at the Atlanta University Center. This year’s fourth annual National N’Daba (Great Gathering) will include a diverse and evolving group of committee members, presenters and youth advocates within the existing Complete Reparations Movement.

Recent events have catapulted the long, complicated, and often brutal history of the treatment of Blacks in America to the forefront. As a result of the historic and current impact on Black Americans’ inability to achieve and maintain equality in this country, the time is now for not only a discussion on complete reparations, but a custom model and application of the National Reparations Declaration led by youth organizers and experienced leaders.

This year our youth and attendees will benefit from this national N’Daba/Summit on complete reparations in five ways:

• The practice and strategy of functional unity and co-leadership within the existing complete

reparations movement.

• A diverse cross-section of the nation’s leading Black students, Black youth, and Black scholars

reflecting diverse theological, political, philosophical, and ideologies will participate.

• The “Collective Culture Model” will be instituted to ground us in the actual process and methodology of securing complete reparations. Select committees in education and culture, economics and investments, state and land acquisition, public and mental health, and public policy and legislation will be established.

• The introduction, organization and implementation of local organizing committees for complete

reparations will be incorporated.

• Training on organizing sustainability and wellness for co-leadership of trauma-based work.

Please prepare yourself to participate in this year’s N’Daba (Great Gathering) to ensure the long-term educational, economic, cultural, political success and sustainability for the masses of Blacks in America for the remainder of the 21st century. Register as a student, individual or as an organization at nationalreparationsinstitute.org. Email us at info@nationalreparationsinstitute.org, or call us at (470) 471-8693

Congresswoman Cori Bush Introduces Legislation Urging Federal Reparations

Washington D.C. (May 18, 2023) — Congresswoman Cori Bush (MO-01) introduced a resolution that forcefully argues why the federal government must provide reparations to descendants of enslaved Black people and people of African descent. The resolution outlines the various forms those reparations should take. The Reparations Now Resolution seeks to advance federal reparations, support existing reparatory justice efforts such as H.R. 40 and H. Con. Res. 44, and provide further momentum to reparations efforts at the state and local levels.

 

“I am one of the 40 million people in this country descended from enslaved Africans. Our ancestors were torn away from their homes and families, enslaved, and forced to fuel this country’s economy since the day it was founded. And then they were left landless, impoverished, and disenfranchised," said Congresswoman Bush. “Black people continue to bear the harms of slavery and its vestiges, through the Black-white wealth gap, segregation and redlining, disparities in health outcomes, a racist and destructive criminal legal system, and countless other ways. Yet our federal government refuses to acknowledge the lasting harms of slavery and the unjust world it created for Black people. We know this injustice because we experience it every day. This resolution will move us closer to a federal government that acknowledges its responsibility for this injustice and enacts a holistic and comprehensive reparations package that begins to address the harm it has caused, the wealth it has extracted, and the lives it has stolen.”

 

A copy of this resolution can be found HERE. A copy of the one-pager can be found HERE. A copy of her remarks, as prepared for delivery, from yesterday’s press conference announcing this resolution can be found HERE.

 

This resolution is co-sponsored by Representatives Jamaal Bowman (NY-16), Al Green (TX-09), Jonathan Jackson (IL-01), Barbara Lee (CA-12), Summer Lee (PA-12), Ilhan Omar (MN-05), Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), Delia Ramirez (IL-04) and Rashida Tlaib (MI-12).

 

National Reparations Organization Requests Designation for the Descendants of Persons Enslaved in the United States

The National Assembly of American Slavery Descendants (NAASD) has formally requested that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) designate the classification “African American” exclusively for the "Descendants of Persons Enslaved in the United States". Since 2021, NAASD has met directly with Biden Administration officials on this issue since President Biden has made equitable data collection a priority with the signing of the Executive Order On Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government. The OMB’s revised Statistical Policy Directive (SPD) 15 recommendation must conform to this Executive Order.

For the first time since 1997, the Office of Management and Budget is now accepting public comments on their initial proposal from the Federal Interagency Technical Working Group on Race and Ethnic Standards which was released in January 2023. The final proposal set to be unveiled by the end of this year, will revise the OMB’s Statistical Policy Directive which sets the “standards for maintaining, collecting and presenting Federal Data on Race and Ethnicity”. The OMB’s current definition of Black or African-American is “a person having origins in any of the Black racial groups of Africa”. This current definition does not denote any specific ethnic group and does not reflect that a distinct ethnic group emerged from U.S. Slavery.

Because of the present flawed definition of Black/African-American, in addition to the growing diversity of the Black community, current data collection on our community is not accurately providing insight to the well being of African Americans.

California's AB3121 has set precedence with specificity for Descendants of Persons Enslaved in the United States. California Governor Gavin Newsom also signed into law SB189; Section 14 which disaggregates Black Americans and provides a category for data collection specifically for “African Americans who are descendants of persons enslaved in the United States.”

It is time for the OMB to follow suit. It is the recommendation of NAASD that the OMB’s revised SPD 15 definition of “African American” means: “a person having origins in the United States with ancestors historically classified as African, Negro, Black or Colored who were either born free or enslaved in the United States and emancipated nationally by the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution”.

We urge the public to give public comment to the OMB and share this point of view through April 27, 2023 in support of our position here. If you need guidance, we have also prepared a toolkit to be shared with family, friends, and organizations within the African American Community. Now is the time for the largest Black population in the United States to unite for the disaggregation of data that will support accurate data collection and billions of dollars coming directly into our community.

The National Assembly of American Slavery Descendants was founded in 2019 to advance reparative policy and legislation for Black American Descendants of U. S. Chattel Slavery .

Sen. Cory Booker Reintroduces Legislation to Form Commission for Study of Reparation Proposals for African Americans

U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-N.J.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, introduced S.40, the Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans Act, legislation that would establish a commission to consider proposals for reparations for African American descendants of slavery. The legislation is the Senate companion to H.R. 40, introduced by Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX-18).

The Commission will study the impact of slavery and the continuing discrimination against African-Americans and will make recommendations on reparation proposals for the descendants of slaves.

“Our nation must reckon with its dark past of slavery and its continued oppression of African Americans, fueled by white supremacy and racism,” said Senator Booker. “Many of our bedrock domestic policies that have ushered millions of Americans into the middle class have systematically excluded Black individuals. I urge my colleagues to support this bill that will address the institutional racism that has suppressed African Americans prosperity throughout our history and bring our country one step closer to our founding principles of liberty and justice for all.”

“I am pleased to thank Senator Cory Booker for introducing the Senate version of the Commission to Study Slavery and Develop Reparations Proposals Act. His introduction of this bill in the Senate is pivotal to the success of this legislation in the 118th Congress. I'm further pleased that Senator Booker, with his storied history of civil rights leadership, sees the value of legislation that takes a historical look at slavery and then works collectively to assess the repair for that era in American history. I believe that the Commission to Study Slavery and Develop Reparation Proposals Act is a crucial piece of legislation that will complement the House version, HR 40. This legislation, both the House and Senate version, goes beyond exploring the economic implications of slavery and segregation but is a holistic approach to reconciling that period of American history. This bill will allow for a moral and social overview of the implications of slavery and the status of African Americans today. I look forward to working with Senator Booker in a bipartisan manner to get this bill through the House and Senate and on to the President’s desk. America will truly be the beneficiary!” said Representative Jackson Lee.

The legislation is cosponsored by Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ed Markey (D-MA), Bob Casey (D-PA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Tina Smith (D-MN), Chris Coons (D-DE), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), and Patty Murray (D-WA).

Over 190 organizations working to advance civil rights in America have endorsed the legislation. A list of those organizations can be found here.

The full text of the legislation can be found here.

The House companion bill can be found here.